Fastener ornament



m 1957 H. s. VAN BUREN, JR ,6

FASTENER ORNAMENT Filed May 18, 1953 ATTORNEY.

lNvEN TORi HARoLDSvAN-BuREN JR. BY Mam FIG-.3

United States Patent FASTENER ORNAMENT Harold S. van Bur-en, Jr., Cambridge, Mass., assignor, by

mesne assignments, to United-Carr Fastener Corporation, Boston, Mass, a corporation of Delaware Application May 18, 1953, Serial No. 355,432

2 Claims. (Cl. 24-216) This invention relates generally to ornaments and has particular reference to a removable ornament and ornament assembly for use on shirts or the like.

Ornamental buttons and the like are frequently used on shirts and other garments which are subjected to laundering and dry cleaning and are often damaged thereby. Many types of ornamental materials such as plastic cannot withstand the temperatures or cleaning solutions used in such operations, and other materials, such as salt water or fresh water pearls cannot withstand pressing operations.

Many types of removable ornaments have been proposed for such applications. Such ornaments have not had any great commercial success heretofore, particularly on garments utilizing snap fasteners, since when the snap fasteners retaining the garment closed are unsnapped by pulling on the cloth adjacent the fastener, the cloth frequently causes the removable ornament to become disengaged also.

The use of such removable ornaments has also been hindered by the fact that the means permanently assembled onto the garment for receiving the removable ornament is usually unsightly when the ornament is not assembled thereon, and by the bulkiness and unsightly appearance of the means for securing the removable ornament to the shirt.

The object of the invention is to provide a removable ornament for use on shirts and the like, which may be used on garments using snap fasteners as closure means.

A further object of the invention is to provide an ornamental assembly for use on shirts and the like in which there is no tendency of the ornamental member to become accidentally disengaged.

A still further object of the invention isto provide a removable ornamental device for use on shirts or the like, in which a cylindrical body formed of a single piece of sheet metal has means at one end retaining an ornamental center portion and means at the other end for engaging a suitably shaped button attached to the garment.

Other objects of the invention will, in part, be obvious, and will, in part, appear hereinafter.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an ornament embodying the features of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of a metallic button member attached to a shirt for receiving the ornament of Fig. 1;

'Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the ornament assembled onto the button;

Fig. 4 is a view in section taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged view in section of the assembled ornament illustrating the effect of pulling on the cloth adjacent the ornament.

Referring to the drawing, there is illustrated an ornamental assembly for use on a shirt 12 or the like, which comprises a button 14 and a snap fastener 16 for assembly onto opposite sides of the shirt material, and an ornament 18 for assembly onto the button 14.

lCC

The button 14 comprises generally a head 20 which is substantially circular, with a smoothly rounded peripheral edge 22, and a shank 24 projecting therefrom to pierce the shirt material and engage abutton retaining device, such as the snap fastener stud 16 disposed on the side of the material opposite the head. The button is assembled tightly onto the shirt material so that it projects only a short distance above the surface thereof.

The ornament 18 comprises a cylindrical body portion 26 having a radially extending flange 28 near one end and an inwardly curled end portion 30, forming a peripheral recess 32, in which is retained the periphery of an ornamental center portion 34, which may be formed of plastic, salt water or fresh water pearl, or any other desired ornamental material.

The other end of the cylindrical body 26 is provided with a button engaging portion 36, which extends a short distance radially inwardly and is connected to the cylindrical body portion by a smoothly rounded portion 38 which conforms generally in shape to the smoothly rounded peripheral edge 22 of the button. In the preferred embodiment, the button engaging portions 36 decrease in thickness toward the innermost edges thereof.

To enable the ornament 18 to engage the button 14, a series of slits 49 are provided in the cylindrical portion which extend longitudinally therein and also extend to the innermost edge of the button engaging portions.

The cylindrical portion is thereby provided with sufiicient expansive resilience to enable the button engaging portions to cam over the outer periphery of the button and seat underneath the edge thereof, with the smoothly rounded portions seating against each other (see Fig. 5). Hence, the ornament may be easily assembled and removed with the fingers. However, as shown in Fig. 5, it cannot become accidentally disengaged when the shirt material is pulled outwardly to disengage the snap fastener stud 16 from a snap fastener socket (not shown) on another portion of the garment, since the material, during such operation, bears against the end of the cylindrical portion of the ornament and forces it more tightly against the button.

The snap fastener stud 16 illustrated herein is merely representative of one type of device which may be utilized to retain the button in assembly on the shirt. In some cases, a snap fastener socket, or various other types of fastening devices, may be used.

Since certain other obvious modifications may be made in the device Without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained herein be interpreted in an illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

l. A removable ornament for shirts and the like, comprising an ornamental center portion and an attaching portion assembled therewith, said attaching portion being formed of resilient material and comprising a generally cylindrical body having radially outwardly extending means at one end forming a peripheral recess to receive and retain the periphery of an ornamental center portion therein, the other end of said body having radially inwardly extending end portions, said end portions decreasing in thickness toward the innermost edge thereof, and a series of slits extending longitudinally from said other end to provide a snap fastener portion for snap engagement with a cooperating fastener portion, said cylindrical body being substantially peripherally continuous except for said slits.

2. An ornamental assembly for use on shirts and the like, comprising a metallic button member for attachment to the shirt, and a removable ornament for snap fastener assembly onto the button, said button having a head portion for seating against one side of the material and a shank extending from the head for piercing the material to engage a button retaining device on the opof slits extending longitudinally from said other end to posite side thereof, said head portion'being substantially provide -a snap fastener, button engaging portion for circular and having a smoothly rounded peripheral edge, seating under the rounded peripheral edge of the button.

said removable ornament comprising a generally cylindrical body having radially outwardly extending means at 5 References Cited in the tile of this patent oneend forming a peripheral recess for receiving and UNITED STATES PATENTS retainmg the periphery of an ornamental center portion,

the other end of said body having radially inwardly ex- 1,831,202 SimOIlS 1931 tending end portions, said end portions decreasing in 1,854,689 Cartel P 19, 1932 thickness toward the innermost ends thereof, and a series 10 

